The domain name for the website that federal MP Bill Shorten uses to promote his political career, billshorten.com.au, is owned by the Australian Workers Union (AWU). That raises many questions by itself which I will deal with, but this post is more than just about Bill’s Domain name and how the AWU came to pay for it.

Most mainstream media are pointing to Bill Shorten as the person who will decide whether or not there is a change of Australian Prime Minister before the 2013 election. That is not true, the real puppet master is the Australian Workers Union National President Bill Ludwig who pulls Bill Shorten’s strings who in turn pulls Julia Gillard’s strings to a large degree.

Bill Shorten’s Website

A follower of this site brought to my attention that Bill Shorten’s website billshorten.com.au is owned by the AWU. Mr Shorten also has two other domain names that are owned by him so it is worth looking at the details of all three and the questions that they raise. Only billshorten.com.au is an active website. It must be noted that Bill Shorten was AWU National Secretary from 2001until he was elected to parliament in 2007.

This website seems to have been active since 2007 as per the Wayback Machine website which allows you to see what it looked like in the past. (Click here to see) I cannot tell when the domain name was registered as for some reason the details are hidden. I could spend $49 on the Whois website to get further details but I will leave that up the MSM. Update:Click here to read the Whois details for billshorten.com.au since 2008. There are no records prior to that.

1. Has Bill Shorten declared the domain name registered by the AWU, billshorten.com.au, on the federal parliament Register of Pecuniary Interests? If not why not?

2. Notice that the .com domain was registered in 2003 and is in Shorten’s name. So why is the .com.au site registered to the AWU and not him.

3. Who authorised the payment at the AWU for the billshorten.com.au domain name. Was it done by Bill Shorten when he worked at the AWU? If Mr Shorten did authorise the payment by the AWU then he clearly ripped off the union to pay for his own personal business. The domain name should have never been registered by the AWU in the first place even if someone else at the AWU authorised it. I do not know of any organisation or company that registers domain names for their staff.

4. Given the AWU paid for Mr Shorten’s domain name, did the AWU pay for any of Mr Shorten’s other election expenses for the 2007 election like federal MP Craig Thomson had the HSU pay for his election expenses in 2007.

5. Why does the AWU domain have an email address for parliament house? If it was updated to have the parliament house email then why was the domain name not transferred to Mr Shorten’s name at the same time. Is it that the AWU will not allow it to be transferred?

6. On the same issue of ownership transfer, the billshorten.net domain was registered on the 18th July 2012 and the billshorten.com.au domain was modified on the same day. Yet they left the AWU as the owner of the billshorten.com.au domain. Why was ownership not transferred to Bill Shorten then if not earlier?

There are plenty of more questions that need to be answered but that will do for a start.

In an interview on the 7.30 report last year Bill Shorten said in relation to his time at the AWU “I didn’t get paid over $100,000 in the union”. (Click here to read more) Maybe he didn’t but as the Craig Thomson MP matter shows it is the credit cards that can be abused and add to the income when working at a union. Given the AWU paid for Bill Shorten’s domain name which is clearly not union business I wouldn’t mind looking at Bill Shorten’s union credit card statements for when he was at the AWU.

Telstra – BHP – Woolworths

Imagine if a politician from any party had the domain name for their political website owned by Telstra, BHP or Woolworths. The outcry by the public would be deafening as it should be. The billshorten.com.au issue above shows the arrogance of the Labor Party and union movement, they just do not care. I am sure Mr Shorten and the AWU will say it is nothing more than an oversight even though the evidence does not support it and most of if not all the mainstream media will buy it. Remember there is also a huge conflict of interest as Bill Shorten is the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and has ultimate oversight for the unions including the AWU.

AWU – Bill Ludwig – Paul Howes

Bill Ludwig, National President of the AWU, is one of the biggest thieves and conmen in the union movement. A lot is made of his involvement in the Julia Gillard / Bruce Wilson fraud cover-up which I have written about but we only have to go back to 2011 whenBill Ludwig ripped off $45,000 of AWU moneyto pay for his own personal legal expenses which related to his position as a director of Racing Queensland Limited and had nothing to do with the union. This is important for two reasons 1. he is the one running the show as far as leader of the Federal Labor Party is concerned, although he uses National Secretary Paul Howes as his mouth piece and 2. It shows how the AWU management use members funds as their own personal bank account and where there is smoke there is fire. I suspect that the AWU paid for a lot more than just a domain name for Mr Shorten and outside what they should have paid him.

Mr Howes is quoted on the SMH website today as saying:

AWU secretary Paul Howes hosed down claims the union had withdrawn support for Ms Gillard because he had told one newspaper: “We don’t tell MPs how to vote (in a leadership ballot)”.

“This is the same position that I and the AWU have held since 2010,” Mr Howes told AAP on Saturday.

“In 2010, we said very clearly that we weren’t directing MPs, but this was our view.

“We said that again during the last challenge. We say that today, because we continue to support the prime minister.”

Asked if Ms Gillard would lead Labor to the September poll, Mr Howes said “absolutely”.

“She’s the right person to lead the party in September, and she will lead the party in September,” he said. (Click here to read more)

Well if Mr Howes does not tell MP’s how to vote in regards to the leader then how can he say that Julia Gillard will “absolutely” lead the Labor Party to the next election.

It is well-known that the AWU control about 20 votes in the federal Labor government which is enough to determine who will ultimately be the leader and current prime minister. What Bill Shorten and Paul Howes say and do counts for little. Bill Ludwig is the great power broker in the Labor Party and the main stream media need to tell it like it is more often and stop running with headlines that everyone is waiting to see what Bill Shorten will do in relation to the federal leadership. Mr Shorten will do what he is told to do by Bill Ludwig as it is Mr Ludwig that gave Bill Shorten his federal parliament job in a safe Labor Party seat in the first place.

I will do a follow-up post on Bill Shorten but to write more now will take the focus off Bill Shorten and his puppet master in the federal leadership speculation. It is also time someone audited the books of the AWU when Mr Shorten worked there. If the books are ever audited I think Bill Shorten will have a lot to worry about.

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At last someone is placing the spotlight on the right people. Both Shorten and Ludwig have been allowed to fly under the radar for far too long. In the end it will be Ludwig who is exposed as the actual ‘leader of the current Labor Party’.
Ludwig has always pulled the strings from behind the curtain, using puppets as front men to do his bidding. His MO has been to find the ‘likely lads’ soon after they have joined his movement and nurture them into powerful positions. First it was Wilson but he had to be dumped for his misdemeanours and was quickly replaced by the other hand picked ‘likely lad’ in the stable,Willy Shorten. Howse was next in line but unfortunately for him he has blundered by seeking too much of the limelight too early.
Ludwig showed his rat cunning when Wilson was sprung, he publicly went after Wilson but privately had judgements against him placed on the back burner and never acted upon.
There is a lot that should one day be exposed but until the MSM has worked out that night actually follows day it will stay in the dark hidden from the Australian public.
As for Gillard, she was only ever given the gig as PM because Ludwig had the ultimate hold over her. (her involvement in the AWU-WRA fraud) Shorten is next in line because of his assistance in the cover up when he was a mere ‘likely lad’ in the AWU and therefore Ludwig’s handpicked chosen one. Howse was another one of Ludwig’s ‘likely lads’ but he shot his bolt by publicly over egging his importance way too early.
Gillard will only get dumped by Ludwig if and when the Vic Police fraud squad look like nailing her, Wilson and Blewitt for the fraud. There are so many among the current Parliamentary Labor party involved in the cover up who are crapping there pants. If the voters don’t decimate Labor in Sept then the AWU-WRA fraud certainly will. Ludwig will do whatever it takes to save his own bacon but someone else will do the dirty work while .he hides behind the curtain

“If the voters don’t decimate Labor in Sept then the AWU-WRA fraud certainly will” After following the AWU, HSU matters for a couple of years now, I wonder if this will ever happen. Sure there are charges laid against Williamson and the Member for Dobell, but why so slow . . especially the investigation into the “I did nothing wrong PM”

Gillard can never be arrested while she is holding the Office of Prime Minister, because to do so would place the Office of the PM below the Police, effectively rendering Australia a Police State (not using this in the usual cliche mode), which is one reason she hangs on, and others keep her hanging on. Once out of Office things will likely quicken, but I can see a potential Rudd Government (not impossible God forbid) offering her a plumb O/S appointment quickly before arrest papers get drawn up. We have the precedent of Beatttie’s sudden resignation and departure for the US not long after he’d finished meddling illegally with Queensland’s State constitution.

Hi Paul, my point was not that Gillard will get arrested, my point was she would not be dumped as leader of the Labor party and PM by Ludwig and therefore Shorten until she became a weight around the AWU’S neck.
Coincidently that time may have come, reports are out that VICPol have confiscated documents relating to the AWU-WRA fraud from the offices of Slater and Gordon.

I agree. Isn’t it convenient that one N. Roxon was in a relationship with short willie when the AWU business transferred from Slater & Gordon to Maurice Blackburn, Roxon’s employer. Sherlock Holmes would probably deduce that the missing documents pertaining to the Bruce Wilson / Julia Gillard case are locked away in a safe owned by the AWU, or one of it’s most senior people, or ex-senior persons. What other hold could they have over their protégé like our current PM. Nasty, dirty business that needs to cleaned up. People such as these union bosses are a blight on the Australian landscape.

I have to say that I am very pleased to have come across your kangaroocourt posts. What amazes me is that over and over again you seem to be able to find these important facts – and yet our full-time political reporters cannot, or will not, do likewise. Is it laziness or something worse? Whatever happened to the so called freedom of the press?
I commend your work and have done my best to circulate your site.

This is just a shadow of the problem which is the Labor Party/AWU entity! As Shane has pointed out, it’s time the media delved into their very real murky dealings! The so-called investigative journalism we see is not dealing with facts, it’s very lazy journalism, and all they really want to report on is the easy grab – tabloid stuff!

This union needs a royal commission at full throttle. I have had personal grief from this union. They shake your hand with one hand and than like the true Cowards they are – knife you in the back and leave you to the wolves!

As each day passes it becomes more and more obvious that each and every member of the Labor Party to some degree is involved in some type of dodgy deal(s) or cover-ups and that the MSM are complicit in hiding this information from the voting public. The Labor party is now full of impotents and diabolical sexist females willing to sell their wares while waiting for and acting on instructions from their puppet masters. With all the disgusting behaviour of Gillard and Co bringing Parliament and the office of the Prime Minister into disrepute the so called Independents continue to support this circus against the will of the people. A full enquiry is needed and appropriate action taken to rid Australia of this corruption at the highest level of office in our once great nation. Time for a total clear out of every sitting Labor MP replaced by some who are willing to listen to and act in the best interest of all Australians with salaries purely performance based, judged by a panel of independent voters/taxpayers in each electorate.

I donated $49.00 more as a symbolic gesture to find out details on the whois website. I will leave it for you to do what best for this website. This Union is a scourge on this country and if we let them continue we should all hold our heads down in shame. I won’t say ever again ‘go hard’ Shane as you have well and truly gone there and the more people who support you the better.

I have bought the details and updated the post with the link. It says it was prepared on the 15th of June which is yesterday, but I think it comes from the US which must be a day behind. It only goes back to 2008 which seems odd given the website has been running since 2007. Maybe someone wants to hide the details. Thanks Curious.

Here we go again……I always suspected that Ludwig was the puppetmaster, but this story confirms it. They all seem to have their snouts in the trough….and that is not directed at the pig who is a fairly intelligent animal. I can’t stand Shorten, he comes over to the public as ok but is a real slime in my opinion. Think he made his name when on TV everyday at the Beaconsfield Mine disaster site. Shane, I just hope they all get their just rewards for all the criminal acts they have all been heavily involved in over many many years. just rewards for all the

i know someone who works at a unionized construction site. they must put their membership number and expiry date on their safety helmets. every person entering the site is checked. if you don’t have membership they don’t let you in and you don’t have a job.

under this criminal mob unions/labor/etc this is not the free country they say it is. unless of course you are one of them, in which case you are free to “pillage” as much as you like.

and therein lies the answer Susan – i have been saying this for over 40 years – perhaps this time around, myself, my children and grandchildren can turn this country around and once and forever get rid of the unions, their corruption and crimes, including the PM and all her union cronies who have done nothing in my 50 years of voting for ANYONE but themselves – it is TIME Australians took a grip on this ongoing CRIME –

Baby with bathwater. The problem is the same as for Parliament. Its the ill-informed vote that lets them through the door. Corruption flourishes when no-one pays attention. I’d rather have a Union behind me as an employee, but how do you stop the process of corruption when no-one takes the time to study the candidates?

Another great piece Shane every time I look at shorten or hear him I know he’s slimy and shifty and don’t get me started on howse. Listening to parliament the other day while they where having a vote the commentator came out and pointed out the front bench on the liebor what I meant to say was the labor side they where all ex union sectary’s or presidents or union lawyers with about 10 years of combined running their own business which doesn’t amount to much yet there they are telling us how to run ours. Oh by the way bill your pies ready typical bully boy.

As you say there are many similarities between what Shorten and Craig Thomson had available to them via Union Credit cards etc
Thomson was evidently a pants man like Shorten and they would have played merry hell with the girls .It was a time of playing up with tax deductible lunches etc and anything was up for grabs
We would all like to hear the stories but we probably never will

I think the Labor party founders will be turning over in their graves at what this party has turned into. My great grandfather was there under the Tree of Knowledge and was a past president of the Queensland branch of the AWU. He was a man of principle and would more than likely be highly disgusted at what this party has now become. He stood for the worker and fought for the worker. This lot calls themselves Labor but they only stand for themselves! Whatever they can get their greedy, grubby hands on to fill their own wallets, pockets or bank accounts or claw their way up the social ladder.
Ever since I discovered first hand what I saw and witnessed in union ranks was not quite right in the 1990’s I have not voted or supported Labor since. Neither will I vote Liberal or Greens. There is more to this great country and only those parties with good policies for the country as a whole will get my vote. I have taught my offspring the very same principle.
Thank you Shane for continuing shine the blowtorch on the dirty politicians of Australia.

Thanks again Shane, you wrote quite some time ago about Bill Shorten and Conroy, if I
remember reghtly, since then a lot more has come to light and indeed, I believe that we
are in great danger with the current people in government.
I am so pleased, that you have taken this up, as I have a feeling that you are on a very hot trail, and what you are going to uncover, may be very necessary for the Australian
people to know as soon as possible. Don’t forget that these union-bosses also sit on the
Boards of the Superannuation-Funds of the Union-members, they are handling Millions, probably Billions of dollars, belonging to ordinary people.

Perhaps the only way things could have continued as far as they have can be explained is if all the players had some serious dirt & something serious to lose..

Given the Hiener millstone rattling around in Kev’s cupboard & the fact that it was not enough to keep him on a leash & in the fold, there must be some ripping yarns yet to be heard & definitely some “unstable weapons of mass political destruction” privately held.

One thing for certain, we are in for some interesting times in the near future.

Rest assure that if Gillard is forced to step down we will start to hear some of the hidden secrets in the Labor Party and unions. She is far too self obsessed and vindictive to let anyone, let alone a group of men get away with stripping her of the power she feels is her right. IN the back of her mind, no doubt is the gnawing fear that as soon as she is no longer PM the Victorian Police will come’ a’ knockin with questions to be answered in regards to the AWU fraud and they will not accept the old lines of “I was young and naïve” or “I have already answered all questions in relation to this matter”. Only then will all those involved in the cover-up like Shorten, Ludwig, some within Slater and Gordon etc. be exposed along with the extent of collusion and corruption. Karma for Gillard and Co will be a delightful thing for the Australian people to witness and it is gaining momentum in its hurry to catch them up!

With reference to your Question #1 Shane…how would the taxation laws apply then? As I understand it Unions do not have to declare income…but how does the GST and claims etc. apply here. Do the taxation laws allow this? If Mr Shorten has an ABN via the Union …does that mean that Mr Shorten personally is claiming GST, expenses and is treated as a legal Business entity? You have raised an important issue regarding the Register of Pecuniary Interests. Is there a conflict here? Would be interesting to see if Mr Ludwig has his own ABN too!

At last, we have a Party that has become so dysfunctional that its demise will expose how all parties are true only to their own ideologies and the quest for their implementation, not the people they supposedly represent. Parties present a dual form of bullying whereby party members are bullied into compliance by the threat of expulsion and those supporters in the public arena are in turn threatened by the consequences of non-acceptance of party doctrine.
Perhaps after this fiasco burns out ordinary people will see Parties for what they have become, tools in the hands of power hungry sleezebags.

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